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Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/hackers-and-hospitals-how-you-can-help

Dear Ruben Safir,

Free software activists, as well as many scientists and medical
professionals, have long since realized that proprietary medical
software and devices are neither ethical nor adequate to our
needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated some of these
shortcomings to a broader audience -- and also given our community a
unique opportunity to offer real, material help at a difficult
time. We're putting together a plan to pitch in, and we hope you'll
join us: keep reading to find out what you can do!

You may already be aware that software and hardware restrictions are
actively hampering the ability of hospitals to repair desperately
needed ventilators all over the world, and how some Italian volunteers
ran into problems when they 3D printed ventilator valves. (As you
can see from the link, the stories vary about exactly what their
interaction with the manufacturer was, but it's clear that the company
refused to release proprietary design files, forcing the volunteers to
reverse-engineer the parts.)

Past coverage of the struggles of free software activists to free the devices they use includes:

• Software Freedom Conservancy executive director and Free Software
  Award winner Karen Sandler's efforts to raise the alarm
  about the dangers of proprietary software in medical devices,
  including her own pacemaker;




• The struggles of LibrePlanet speaker and OpenAPS
  co-founder Dana Lewis, and many others to help Type 1 diabetics
  take control of their medical treatment using an Artificial Pancreas
  System; and




• The efforts of many patients and activists to improve the
  effectiveness of their sleep apnea treatment by hacking their CPAP
  machines.

We've also seen how free software can deliver better health outcomes
from our friends at GNU Health and GNU Health Embedded,
and how the participation of everyday people in the scientific process
can help to save the environment through Free Software Award winners
Public Lab, and help in disaster relief through Free Software
Award winners Sahana.

So it's clear that the free software community has a lot of creativity
and know-how to contribute in the tough days ahead, and that with over
845,000 people worldwide stricken with COVID-19 as of this writing, we
absolutely need to pitch in if we can help people to avoid illness,
and to recover from coronavirus. We know that the 3D printing of
medical equipment is distinctly not an advisable hobby for amateurs,
and that the production of anything more complex than cloth masks will
require expert input. But we also know that the outlook is bleak if
supplies run short – and that shortages are almost certain.

That's why we're looking into what we can make with our in-office
Respects Your Freedom (RYF)-certified 3D printers, and we're
talking to the brand new Mass General Brigham Center for COVID
Innovation so they can direct our efforts. We're also gathering
resources for our "HACKERS and HOSPITALS" plan at the LibrePlanet
wiki page. If you have expertise, 3D printers, or supplies to
contribute, please contact Michael via sysadmin@fsf.org. If you do
not have the means to produce medical gear and you still want to help,
research can be done from anywhere with only a computer and an
Internet connection. Add any projects that are freely licensed working
towards helping with COVID-19 to the wiki!

We've always believed that it's of crucial importance to human freedom
and creativity to allow us to use all the tools at our disposal with
no restrictions, and right now, we may be able to use the free
software we've built, preserved, and advocated for together to save
lives.

Happy and healthy hacking,

Dana Morgenstein

Outreach & Communications Coordinator